Belt With Accessory Support System

ABSTRACT

A belt with accessory support system for providing secure support and efficient removal of an accessory device. The belt with accessory support system generally includes a belt that is adapted to be removably positioned about the waist of a user, a first strap attached to the belt that is adapted to receive an accessory device, and a hook connector attached to the belt. The hook connector is removably connected to the distal end of the first strap when the first strap is in a secure state to retain the accessory device and is released from the distal end of the first strap when the first strap is in a release state to release the accessory device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

I hereby claim benefit under Title 35, United States Code, Section 119(e) of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/911,800 filed Dec. 4, 2013. The 61/911,800 application is currently pending. The 61/911,800 application is hereby incorporated by reference into this application.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable to this application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a belt and more specifically it relates to a belt with accessory support system for providing secure support and efficient removal of an accessory device.

2. Description of the Related Art

Any discussion of the related art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such related art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.

Conventional belts have been in use for years for supporting pants and for supporting various items on a user. A conventional belt is comprised of a flexible elongated structure with a buckle to secure the belt around the waist of a user. Conventional belts, such as tool belts, have been customized to have pockets and holders to retain various types of items such as tools.

One problem with conventional belts is that they are not suitable for providing secure support of an accessory device while allowing for convenient removal of the accessory device. In particular, items attached to the belt may be securely retained on the belt but difficult to remove and vice versa.

Because of the inherent problems with the related art, there is a need for a new and improved belt with accessory support system for providing secure support and efficient removal of an accessory device.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to a belt which includes a belt that is adapted to be removably positioned about the waist of a user, a first strap attached to the belt that is adapted to receive an accessory device, and a hook connector attached to the belt. The hook connector is removably connected to the distal end of the first strap when the first strap is in a secure state to retain the accessory device and is released from the distal end of the first strap when the first strap is in a release state to release the accessory device.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, some of the features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and that will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction or to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an upper perspective view of the present invention in the secured position.

FIG. 2 is an upper perspective view of the present invention in the released position.

FIG. 3 is an upper perspective view of the present invention with an accessory device positioned upon the first strap prior to fully securing the accessory device to the belt.

FIG. 4 is an upper perspective view of the present invention with the accessory device secured to the belt.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the accessory device attached to the belt.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the present invention with the accessory device attached to the belt.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A. Overview.

Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views, FIGS. 1 through 7 illustrate a belt with accessory support system 10, which comprises a belt 20 that is adapted to be removably positioned about the waist of a user, a first strap 30 attached to the belt 20 that is adapted to receive an accessory device 12, and a hook connector 50 attached to the belt 20. The hook connector 50 is removably connected to the distal end of the first strap 30 when the first strap 30 is in a secure state to retain the accessory device 12 and is released from the distal end of the first strap 30 when the first strap 30 is in a release state to release the accessory device 12.

The present invention may support various types of accessory devices 12 such as, but not limited to, personal radiation monitoring devices. The present invention may support one or more accessory devices 12 on a user wearing the belt 20. Thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD) are a common type of personal radiation monitoring device the present invention is suitable for usage with. Thermo-luminescent dosimeters are worn by the worker for a period of time (e.g. 3 months or less) and then are processed to determine the dose received, if any. It can be appreciated that various other types of accessory devices 12 may be utilized with the present invention. The accessory devices 12 preferably have device connectors 14 (e.g. loops, hooks, etc.) that the first strap 30 is able to pass through to support the accessory devices 12.

B. Belt.

The belt 20 is comprised of an elongated flexible material. The belt 20 may further be comprised of a non-stretchable material to provide strength and stability when supporting the accessory device 12. The length of the belt 20 may vary depending upon the size of the user. The width of the belt 20 may also vary depending upon the desired support for the user. The materials used to construct the belt 20 may vary such as, but not limited to, leather, plastic, fabric, rope and the like. The thickness of the belt 20 may also vary depending upon the application and material used. The belt 20 includes an outside surface 22 that faces outwardly from the user and an inside surface 24 opposite of the outside surface 22 that faces inwardly toward the user as illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4 of the drawings.

The belt 20 may be constructed of a solid loop structure that the user removably wears around their waist. Alternatively, the belt 20 may be an elongated strap structure having a first distal end 26 and a second distal end 28 opposite of the first distal end 26 so that the belt 20 forms a loop when the distal ends are connected together. The belt 20 may be comprised of any conventional structure commonly utilized as a belt 20. A buckle 29 is connected to the distal ends 26, 28 of the belt 20 to allow a user to selectively connect the distal ends 26, 28 together. The buckle 29 may be comprised of various types of structures such as a clasp, slide release buckle, belt buckle, pronged buckle, side squeeze buckle, heel roller buckle, jam lever buckle, cam lever buckle, clamp buckle, loop and hook buckle and the like.

C. First Strap.

The first strap 30 is attached to the belt 20 and is adapted to receive at least one accessory device 12 such as a thermoluminescent dosimeter. The first strap 30 is preferably attached to the outside surface 22 of the belt 20 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5 and 7 of the drawings. The first strap 30 is further preferably attached to a front portion of the belt 20 to the side of the buckle 29 when worn by the user as illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4 of the drawings.

The first strap 30 is shorter in length than the belt 20 and is preferably less than ¼ the length of the belt 20 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4 of the drawings. The first strap 30 may have a width greater than or less than the belt 20, however, it is preferable that the first strap 30 has a width less than the width of the belt 20 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5 of the drawings. The distal end of the first strap 30 is preferably not wider than a central portion of the first strap 30, however, the distal end of the first strap 30 may be wider and/or thicker than the central portion of the first strap 30. The first strap 30 may be comprised of the same material or different material as the belt 20. The first strap 30 is preferably a flexible material.

The first strap 30 is preferably vertically centered upon the belt 20 and parallel with respect to the longitudinal axis of the belt 20 as best illustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawings. The thickness of the first strap 30 may be greater than or less than the thickness of the belt 20 as long as the first strap 30 is able to pass through the device connectors 14 (e.g. loops, hooks, etc.) of the accessory device 12 to be removably attached to the belt 20.

The first strap 30 includes a first secured end 34 opposite of the distal end that is attached to the outside surface 22 of the belt 20. The first secured end 34 may be attached to the belt 20 utilizing various fasteners such as adhesive, sewing, rivets and the like. The first secured end 34 is preferably closer to the buckle 29 than the distal end of the first strap 30.

The first strap 30 includes a distal end opposite of the connection to the belt 20 wherein the distal end may be pivoted outwardly to attached or remove the accessory device 12. The distal end of the first strap 30 includes a first opening 33 that removably receives the hook connector 50 as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings. The first opening 33 passes vertically from the bottom to the top of the distal end of the first strap 30. The distal end of the first strap 30 is preferably comprised of a loop forming the first opening 33 that removably receives the hook connector 50 as illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 7 of the drawings.

The first strap 30 has a secure state wherein the distal end of the first strap 30 is attached to the belt 20 to secure the accessory device 12 to the belt 20 as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 4, 5 and 7 of the drawings. When the first strap 30 is in the secure state, the first strap 30 is preferably parallel to and substantially adjacent to the belt 20 along a substantial length of the first strap 30 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 7 of the drawings. The first strap 30 is preferably taut when in the secure state to reduce movement of the accessory device 12 when the user moves and to prevent interference with the movements of the user by the accessory device 12.

The first strap 30 also has a release state to release (or attach) the accessory device 12 from the belt 20 as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings. When the first strap 30 is in the release state, the first strap 30 is no longer parallel to or substantially adjacent to the belt 20 as in the secure state. The first strap 30 is also not taut when in the release state. The distal end of the first strap 30 is positioned away from the belt 20 to allow for the accessory device 12 to be removed from or positioned upon the first strap 30 via the distal end.

D. Hook Connector.

The hook connector 50 is attached to the belt 20 and is adapted to be removably connected to the distal end of the first strap 30 thereby securing the first strap 30 in the secure position as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 4, 5 and 7 of the drawings. The hook connector 50 is preferably connected to the outside surface 22 of the belt 20 and aligned with the first strap 30. The hook connector 50 may be comprised of various types of materials such as plastic, metal, composite and the like.

The hook connector 50 may be comprised of any type of connector that is suitable for connecting to the distal end of the first strap 30 in a secure and quick release manner. The hook connector 50 preferably is comprised of a hook structure that extends through the first opening 33 within the first loop 32 of the first strap 30 as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 4 and 7 of the drawings.

The hook connector 50 is removably extended through the first opening 33 in the distal end. The hook connector 50 is connected to the distal end of the first strap 30 when the first strap 30 is in the secure state and is released from the distal end of the first strap 30 when the first strap 30 is in the release state.

A second strap 40 includes a second secured end 44 that is attached to the belt 20. The hook connector 50 is attached to the second strap 40 opposite of the second secured end 44 thereby allowing the hook connector 50 to pivot and move outwardly as illustrated in FIG. 2 of the drawings. The second strap 40 preferably includes a second loop 42 forming a second opening 43 that receives the attachment end 52 of the hook connector 50 thereby allowing the hook connector 50 to freely pivot with respect to the second strap 40.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5 of the drawings, the hook connector 50 includes a body portion 54 having an attachment end 52 movably attached to the belt 20 directly or via the second strap 40. The hook connector 50 further includes a vertical portion 56 that removably extends through the first opening 33 within the first strap 30. The hook connector 50 further includes a horizontal portion 57 extending from the vertical portion 56 and an end portion 58 that extends vertically downwardly from the horizontal portion 57. An upper opening and a connector slot 59 is formed within the hook connector 50 between the vertical portion 56 and the body portion 54 that receive a portion of the first loop 32 of the first strap 30 as illustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawings.

The hook connector 50 is preferably comprised of a G-hook as best illustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawings. The G-hook allows for secure attachment of the first strap 30 into the secure position and for quick release of the first strap 30 into the release position.

E. Operation of Preferred Embodiment.

In use, the user attaches the belt 20 around their waist or other portion of their body by connecting the buckle 29. The belt 20 may be extended through the loops on their pants or worn externally of the loops. The belt 20 is preferably taut when connected to the body of the user.

The first strap 30 is released from the hook connector 50 and the accessory device 12 is positioned upon the first strap 30 as illustrated in FIGS. 2 through 3 of the drawings. The first strap 30 is extended through the device connectors 14 on the back side of the accessory device 12 as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 6 of the drawings. After the accessory device 12 is properly positioned upon the first strap 30, the user then positions the first loop 32 of the first strap 30 above the hook connector 50 and then pushes the first loop 32 downwardly so that the vertical portion 56 of the hook connector 50 extends through the first opening 33 of the first loop 32 as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawings. The horizontal portion 57 and end portion 58 of the hook connector 50 form a hook structure that prevents the vertical portion 56 from falling out of the first loop 32. The user then activates the accessory device 12 and proceeds to handle their job as they normally would with no interference by the accessory device 12. When the user desires to remove the accessory device 12 from the belt 20, the hook connector 50 is released from the first strap 30 thereby allowing the accessory device 12 to be removed from the first strap 30.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although methods and materials similar to or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, suitable methods and materials are described above. All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety to the extent allowed by applicable law and regulations. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Any headings utilized within the description are for convenience only and have no legal or limiting effect. 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A belt for supporting an accessory device, comprising: a belt comprised of a flexible material, wherein said belt includes an outside surface and an inside surface opposite of said outside surface, wherein said belt forms a loop and is adapted to be removably positioned about the waist of a user; a first strap attached to said belt, wherein said first strap is adapted to receive an accessory device, wherein said first strap includes a distal end opposite of said belt, wherein said first strap has a secure state to secure the accessory device to said belt and a release state to release the accessory device from said belt; and a hook connector attached to said belt, wherein said hook connector is connected to said distal end of said first strap when said first strap is in said secure state and wherein said hook connector is released from said distal end of said first strap when said first strap is in said release state.
 2. The belt of claim 1, wherein said flexible material is comprised of a non-stretchable material.
 3. The belt of claim 1, wherein said belt includes a first distal end, a second distal end opposite of the first distal end, and a buckle connected to said distal ends to allow a user to selectively connect said distal ends together.
 4. The belt of claim 1, wherein said first strap is attached to said outside surface.
 5. The belt of claim 1, wherein said first strap is attached to a front portion of said belt.
 6. The belt of claim 1, wherein said hook connector is attached to said outside surface.
 7. The belt of claim 1, wherein said first strap is taut when in said secure state.
 8. The belt of claim 1, wherein said distal end of said first strap is not wider than a central portion of said first strap.
 9. The belt of claim 1, wherein said distal end of said first strap includes a first opening that removably receives said hook connector.
 10. The belt of claim 1, wherein said distal end of said first strap is comprised of a loop having an opening that removably receives said hook connector.
 11. The belt of claim 1, wherein said first strap is parallel with respect to said belt.
 12. The belt of claim 1, wherein a width of said first strap is less than a width of said belt.
 13. The belt of claim 1, wherein said first strap includes a first secured end opposite of said distal end, wherein said first secured end is attached to said belt.
 14. The belt of claim 14, including a second strap, wherein said second strap includes a second secured end attached to said belt and wherein said hook connector is attached to said second strap opposite of said second secured end.
 15. The belt of claim 1, wherein said hook connector includes a body portion having an attachment end movably attached to said belt, a vertical portion that removably extends through an opening within said first strap, a horizontal portion extending from said vertical portion, and an end portion extending vertically from said horizontal portion, wherein a connector slot is formed within said hook connector between said vertical portion and said body portion.
 16. The belt of claim 1, wherein said hook connector is comprised of a G-hook.
 17. The belt of claim 16, wherein said G-hook includes a vertical portion that extends upwardly and an upper opening that removably receives said distal end of said first strap.
 18. A belt for supporting an accessory device, comprising: a belt comprised of a flexible material, wherein said belt includes an outside surface and an inside surface opposite of said outside surface, wherein said belt forms a loop and is adapted to be removably positioned about the waist of a user; a first strap attached to said outside surface of said belt, wherein said first strap is adapted to receive an accessory device, wherein said first strap includes a distal end opposite of said belt, wherein said distal end includes a first opening, wherein a width of said first strap is less than a width of said belt, wherein said first strap has a secure state to secure the accessory device to said belt and a release state to release the accessory device from said belt; and a hook connector attached to said outside surface of said belt, wherein said hook connector is comprised of a G-hook, wherein said hook connector is removably extended through said first opening in said distal end, wherein said hook connector is connected to said distal end of said first strap when said first strap is in said secure state and wherein said hook connector is released from said distal end of said first strap when said first strap is in said release state.
 19. The belt of claim 18, wherein said hook connector includes a body portion having an attachment end movably attached to said belt, a vertical portion that removably extends through an opening within said first strap, a horizontal portion extending from said vertical portion, and an end portion extending vertically from said horizontal portion, wherein a connector slot is formed within said hook connector between said vertical portion and said body portion.
 20. A belt for supporting an accessory device, comprising: a belt comprised of a flexible material, wherein said flexible material is comprised of a non-stretchable material, wherein said belt includes an outside surface, an inside surface opposite of said outside surface, a first distal end and a second distal end opposite of the first distal end, wherein said belt forms a loop and is adapted to be removably positioned about the waist of a user; a buckle connected to said distal ends to allow a user to selectively connect said distal ends together; a first strap attached to said outside surface of said belt, wherein said first strap is attached to a front portion of said belt, wherein said first strap is parallel with respect to said belt, wherein said first strap is adapted to receive an accessory device, wherein said first strap includes a distal end opposite of said belt, wherein said distal end includes a first opening, wherein said distal end of said first strap is comprised of a loop forming said first opening that removably receives said hook connector, wherein a width of said first strap is less than a width of said belt, wherein said first strap has a secure state to secure the accessory device to said belt and a release state to release the accessory device from said belt; and a hook connector attached to said outside surface of said belt, wherein said hook connector is comprised of a G-hook, wherein said hook connector is removably extended through said first opening in said distal end, wherein said hook connector is connected to said distal end of said first strap when said first strap is in said secure state and wherein said hook connector is released from said distal end of said first strap when said first strap is in said release state, wherein said first strap is taut when in said secure state; wherein said hook connector includes a body portion having an attachment end movably attached to said belt, a vertical portion that removably extends through an opening within said first strap, a horizontal portion extending from said vertical portion, and an end portion extending vertically from said horizontal portion, wherein a connector slot is formed within said hook connector between said vertical portion and said body portion. 